Reading Lately: May 2018 Edition

Hello friends! While I read four books in May, it felt like a slow reading month. That could be because I had two Netgalley books I didn’t enjoy and the other 2 were re-reads. Oh well, June is a new month that doesn’t have college softball on TV constantly, which cut into my reading time in May 🙂

What I’ve been reading lately

Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones: I actually enjoyed most of this book. Set in Germany with old world “religion” of goblins and the Underworld falling out of vogue, with a main female character that doesn’t feel like she fits, I was excited to read. But really turned me off was the sex scenes. Not that there was actual sex, but the way it was portrayed. I can’t deal with characters that go all emo and are like OMG IF I DON’T HAVE SEX I CAN’T MOVE FORWARD WITH MY LIFE. Seriously. Without that ridiculousness, this would likely be a borderline 4 star book. But I could not get over the eye rolls during that part of the book.2.5 out of 5 stars
c/o Netgalley

Unbury Carol by Josh Malerman: Meh. I kept hoping this would get better. And it didn’t. I was *this close* to DNF’ing, especially after reading a review from another blogger that summed up exactly what I was feeling. But I persevered and was duly disappointed. This is set in a sort of old west setting with outlaws and carriages and such. But there is an underlying magic that is never really fleshed out. Carol, one of the main characters, has a condition where her body goes into a severe coma that makes her seem dead. Her husband has decided he wants her money and her out of his life so when the coma comes, he decides that she is “dead” and ready to be buried. What comes next is a whole lot of nothing with people questioning if she is dead or if the husband had something to do with the death. With all that, it had the great bones for a book, but it just seems like nothing happens.2 out of 5 stars
c/o Netgalley

The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett: This is a re-read for me (and book 2 below). I loved these books when I first read them, but didn’t keep up with the series after book 2 because I wanted to read the whole thing at once. I finally decided to pick it up now that the entire series (5 books) are published. Man, this is good. Set in a world where humans hide behind wards they barely understand every night as corelings (demons) rise to hunt them down. But there are a few people that want to go back to what it was like before when humans actually fought back against the corelings. The main characters don’t quite fit the mold because of that. This is a great series for anyone that enjoys amazing characters, world-building that makes you feel like you are there and a story that keeps you sucked in.4 out of 5 stars

The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett: A continuation of book one, in this one we get the viewpoint of the Krasians, a desert tribe that pretty much lives for killing demons. We also get to hear from the main characters in book one as they grow into their leadership roles that have been thrust onto them. This one really opens the world up even more. I will say, there are some difficult topics in this series, including rape, misogyny, and incest. If you want a fluffy fantasy, do NOT pick up this series.4 out of 5 stars